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Erik Killmonger
Charlatan Black Panther |species = Human |citizenship = |affiliation = (formerly) (formerly) Golden Tribe |gender = Male |DOD = July 2016WHiH World News: 2.05: WHiH Breaking News: Attack in Lagos'Captain America: Civil War'Spider-Man: Homecoming'Spider-Man: Homecoming'' extended sceneAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.20: Emancipation |status = Deceased |title = Prince (formerly) King (formerly) Black Panther (formerly) |movie = Black Panther |actor = Michael B. Jordan Seth Carr (young)}} '''Erik Stevens (born N'Jadaka) was a former American black-ops soldier of Wakandan origin through his father, Prince N'Jobu. His savagery while serving in the a black-ops unit earned him the nickname Erik Killmonger. Years after T'Chaka killed his father for betraying Wakanda, Killmonger then planned to forcibly dethrone T'Challa in order to accomplish his father's plan to seize control of the world with Wakanda's technology and stop what they perceived to be the oppression of people of African descent by the world. Manipulating and then killing Ulysses Klaue to gain access to Wakanda, Killmonger used his blood-right as a crown prince to engage in ritual combat, where he seemingly killed T'Challa and succeeded in taking the throne. Just before Killmonger unleashed his plan as King of Wakanda to distribute Wakanda's weapons across the world, T'Challa returned and challenged Killmonger. The two fought, with T'Challa emerging the victor after fatally stabbing Killmonger in the chest. Killmonger refused to be treated, citing that after treatment he would be incarcerated, and that his victims of the slave trade ancestors knew that death was a better alternative to bondage. His actions and subsequent death convinced T'Challa to shed Wakanda's false public image and share their resources with the rest of the world through peace. Biography Early Life Living in America Erik Stevens, born N'Jadaka, was the son of Prince N'Jobu and an unknown American woman. Raising his son in Oakland, California, Stevens' father nevertheless promised the young boy that he would one day take him to Wakanda, claiming that the sunsets there were the most beautiful in the world.Black Panther Death of his Father The night his father was killed by his uncle, King T'Chaka, Stevens was playing basketball with his friends when he spotted a Royal Talon Flyer above their apartment complex and rushed inside, where he found his father, dead. Stevens held his father's body and cried, before recovering his father's diary. Seeking Revenge Becoming the Killmonger aged nineteen, MIT for grad school. Joined the SEALs and went straight to Afghanistan, where he racked up confirmed kills like it was a video game. Started calling himself Killmonger. He joined a ghost unit, now these guys are serious, they would drop off the grid so they could commit assassinations and take down governments.|Everett Ross|Black Panther (film)}}Stevens started out as a Navy SEAL and was eventually recruited into a Ghost unit, as a Black ops mercenary. While in the United States Armed Forces, Killmonger would cut his skin with tribal , with one for each kill, claiming that he has killed in the United States of America, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq. Due to his savagery while serving in the Armed Forces, Stevens gained the nickname Killmonger. Working with Ulysses Klaue ]] Killmonger struck a deal with Ulysses Klaue when he had found a Wakandan weapon made of vibranium within the Museum of Great Britain and, with his group, helped Klaue steal the weapon. Klaue would later go to attempt to sell the weapon to Agent Everett Ross in South Korea. However, T'Challa, along with Okoye and Nakia intervened on their hunt for Klaue. When the Wakandans finally managed to capture Klaue after thirty years of pursuit, Killmonger and his group saved the arms dealer. Rescue of Ulysses Klaue ]] Killmonger set up explosives on the wall of the room of where Ulysses Klaue was currently being held. When he blew the wall up, Killmonger began firing a gun at everyone present, wounding Everett Ross in the process by shooting him in the spine as Ross tried to protect Nakia. When Black Panther went to prevent Killmonger from rescuing Klaue, Killmonger managed to defeat him by shooting him with a grenade launcher. During the short fight, the Wakandan Royal Ring belonging to his father N'Jobu, which Killmonger kept on a chain, dangled around his neck. T'Challa noticed the ring, as the ring belonging to the King of Wakanda was an identical one. Meeting T'Challa ]] Even though Killmonger had worked with Ulysses Klaue and had also rescued him, he ended up shooting and killing him in order to at least try to gain the trust of the Wakandans. Killmonger brought Klaue's body to Wakanda and presented it to W'Kabi. W'Kabi, already disappointed with T'Challa for not managing to bring Klaue to justice for his crimes, brought Killmonger to the King and his council. for the throne]] Killmonger began taunting T'Challa upon first meeting him. He then said that he wanted to be King of Wakanda, and revealed his true identity in anger when T'Challa ordered him to be removed after T'Challa had told Killmonger that the only reason he was still alive was because he knew who Killmonger truly was. Killmonger then challenged T'Challa to a duel, one which T'Challa accepted. Duel for the Throne ]] Before the duel began at the Warrior Falls, Killmonger took his shirt off, bearing his scars, stating that each scar stood for a life he had taken, lives in the United States of America, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq. It was obvious that Killmonger had the upper hand in the fight, as the duel required the Black Panther to be stripped from his powers in order for the duel to be fair. While T'Challa managed to cut Killmonger, he still lost. Killmonger gravely wounded T'Challa, cutting his thigh and his stomach. Before he went to give the killing blow, Zuri stopped him. Zuri, having been sent by T'Challa's father, King T'Chaka to America to keep an eye on Killmonger's father N'Jobu and had been there during Killmonger's childhood, begged Killmonger to take his life and spare T'Challa, telling Killmonger the truth of his father's death. in combat]] In rage, Killmonger killed Zuri by stabbing him in the heart, calling him "Uncle James", and T'Challa screamed in despair for his death. Using T'Challa's vulnerability to his advantage, Killmonger went on to punch the King, mocking him and the fact that he was too weak to be King without the powers of the Black Panther. In the end, Erik picked T'Challa up on his shoulders and threw him down the waterfall to his alleged death. King of Wakanda Burning the Herb Garden As per tradition, Killmonger underwent the ritual all Kings of Wakanda must go through by drinking the fluid of the Heart-Shaped Herb and speaking with his father's spirit within the Astral Dimension, becoming the Black Panther. After this, Killmonger ordered the herb garden to be burned, going as far as to lift a woman by the throat when she objected by saying that it was a sacred tradition to keep a reserve of Heart-Shaped Herb for the King's successor. Battle of Mount Bashenga 's return]] Killmonger, now the king of Wakanda and supported by W'Kabi and his army, prepared shipments of Wakandan weapons to be distributed to operatives around the world, so they may spread it to other people of African descent so that they may fight back against their oppressors, as was his father's plan. ]] Overseeing the ships leaving Wakanda, he sees one of them shot down by T'Challa, making his return as Black Panther. Killmonger orders W'Kabi and his army against T'Challa, but he blasts them away with his kinetic energy. Enraged at Killmonger's evil nature, Okoye and a few of her warriors got ready to attack Killmonger, who reveals he has taken one of the upgraded Habits for his own use. During the fight, Nakia and Shuri join Okoye as they fight Killmonger. Duel in the Great Mound With M'Baku and the Jabari tribe arriving to help the fight, T'Challa focuses his attention on Killmonger, who is about to hurt Shuri. Before he can, T'Challa tackles him and they fall down into the vibranium mines. There, they continue their fight, evenly matched, until T'Challa has Shuri utilize the mag-lev train's sonic stabilizers to disrupt the vibranium technology in his and Killmonger's suits, leaving him exposed so that T'Challa may impale him with his own short spear. Choosing to Die T'Challa sat down next to Killmonger, who complimented him on the move. He explained that his father stated that Wakanda was the most beautiful place on Earth. Saddened, T'Challa drags Killmonger outside the Great Mound to watch the sunset. T'Challa told Killmonger that Shuri could heal the wound that he inflicted on him. Killmonger declines the offer asking to be buried at sea like his ancestors, stating that when they were brought over to America on boats, some of them jumped out and drowned in the sea, as they knew it was better to die that way than it was to be imprisoned. Killmonger decided to die free by removing the spearhead from his body, bleeding out and dying peacefully. Legacy Personality The basis of Killmonger's life and motivations was driven by hatred and revenge, especially against injustices towards Africans and African-Americans and himself. Aside from his father, Killmonger felt no love for anything. He freely admits to murdering his own “brothers and sisters” on his native continent and even his own lover, Linda when she was kidnapped and became a liability to his mission of revenge. Killmonger’s father raised him on the stories of Wakanda being a beautiful haven for people like them yet also deeply criticized its isolationist traditions due to having the tools to liberate oppressed black people across the world yet doing nothing. Since his father’s murder, Killmonger’s entire life has been based around seeing his father’s dream of a Wakandan empire being dominant across the world and avenging him. His actions, however, proved that Killmonger had been lost to sociopathic tendencies and his heart too full of hatred and rage had corrupted N’Jobu’s mission of peace, that, whilst flawed in his actions was based on a desire to help descendant Africans across the world whereas Killmonger was only driven by revenge. To achieve his mission, Killmonger trained extensively throughout the world until killing became second nature to him and ritualistically marking his body for every murder he committed from every continent. Whilst his savage nature made him a great warrior during his tenure as king, Killmonger’s reign brought Wakanda closer to war and destruction since the time of its formations - his supposed dream of uniting all Africans under a Wakandan flag pitted his brothers against each other and caused only more death. Even his loyalsit, W’Kabi realised the violence caused by supporting Killmonger and the harm it was doing to Wakanda and abandoned his cause due to it. Learning from decades of colonisation and his own experience of toppling governments, Killmonger planned to litter Vibranium technology throughout the world to destabilise governemnts and give the tools oppressed people need to fight back. His actions during his duel with T’Challa also highlighted his preferred style of control as he continuously beat, degraded and discarded his body to dissuade rebellion or defiance - such as Zur whom he also murdered and remorselessly burnt the Herb Garden so there would be no new king. Though he was proud of his Wakandan roots, proudly stating his birth name to the Wakandan elders, Killmonger cared little about their traditions as can be witnessed when he destroyed the Herb Garden and was willing to break years of isolationism by sending Vibranium across the world. For all his faults, Killmonger’s actions had a deep impact on T’Challa. Realizing that his father’s adherence to Wakanda’s isolationist traditions led to the birth of a monster like Killmonger rather than protecting their country from them, T’Challa revealed Wakanda to the world, though to help others with him as a king rather than to conquer them like Killmonger would as a warmonger. T’Challa continued Killmonger’s vision of Wakanda helping people across the world though by the use of outreach centers in peace, rather than rebelling against their oppression. In his final moments, Killmonger reflected on his decisions that brought him to Wakanda and realised that he was still only a young boy chasing the fairytales his father told him. He was brave in death and even complimented his cousin’s killer move against him but refused to be healed due to wanting to die free like his ancestors did. Ultimately as hate-filled as Killmonger was he still found beauty in a Wakandan sunset that his father told him about so many times before dying peacefully. Powers and Abilities Powers *'Heart-Shaped Herb Enhancement': After having consumed the 'Heart-Shaped Herb', Killmonger's physical attributes have been significantly enhanced to levels comparable to a super soldier. These powers are long-lasting, at least until the user drinks a serum to negate the powers of the herbs for a trial combat for a fair fight to become King of Wakanda. **'Enhanced Strength': Killmonger's strength is tremendously enhanced beyond the peak of human potential, moving into the early levels of superhuman condition. He is strong enough to effortlessly lift humans high above his head with one arm, as well as send others flying with his strikes. **'Enhanced Speed': Killmonger can run and move at speeds beyond the peak of human potential, moving into the early levels of superhuman condition. **'Enhanced Stamina': Killmonger's musculature produces fewer fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of an ordinary human. Killmonger's body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing chemicals in his muscles, granting him exceptional endurance and lung capacity, greater than of normal humans. **'Enhanced Durability': Killmonger is much more durable than a normal human being. Even when not wearing his Panther Habit, he can survive immense blunt force trauma. **'Enhanced Agility': Killmonger's agility is outstanding, far greater than Olympic athletes. He can coordinate his body with perfect balance, equilibrium, flexibility, and dexterity. His movements are akin to an actual panther, being capable of crawl and climb through walls and leap great distances with accuracy. **'Enhanced Reflexes': Killmonger's reflexes are are beyond human potential and superior to those of the finest athlete. Abilities *'Master Martial Artist': Due to his rigorous black ops and SEAL training, as well as likely further self-training, Erik was an extremely strong and skilled martial artist. He was skilled enough to be able to defeat T'Challa, a highly trained and proficient combatant whose skill rivalled that of the Winter Soldier's, in their first duel where T'Challa and him had no powers, and stalemated him in their last altercation when they both were on their Panther Habits. *'Master Swordsman': Killmonger was able to wield Wakandan swords and similar bladed weapons with great skill. His skill with a sword allowed him to defeat T'Challa in their duel for the throne. *'Expert Marksman': As a former American black-ops mercenary, Killmonger was incredibly accurate with firearms. He was able to wield both high caliber assault rifles, as well as handguns with great accuracy. *'Master Tactician': Killmonger was a masterful strategist, able to formulate and execute highly strategic plans. *'Master Assassin': Due to his intensive experience as a Navy SEAL and mercenary in an American Black Ops Ghost unit, Killmonger is highly skilled in assassination techniques, as well as espionage, intelligence gathering, infiltration, and sabotage. He gained the nickname "Killmonger" due to his substantial kill-count. *'Master Acrobat': Being immensely agile, Killmonger is a master gymnast and acrobat, which allowed him to combat Black Panther on equal grounds. Equipment *'Kimoyo Beads': To be added *'Golden Jaguar Habit': This suit is one of two upgraded versions of the Panther Habit which Killmonger took for his own use. *'Mask:' Killmonger stole a ceremonial mask that he could use to conceal his identity. *'Daniel Defense DDM4 MK18': Killmonger wielded the assault rifle when helping Klaue escape from questioning. *'Wakandan Sword' *'Wakandan Short-Spear': Killmonger wielded a spear that he had broken down to the size of a small blade, which he wielded as a knife-like weapon. Relationships Family *Golden Tribe **Bashenga † - Ancestor **Azzuri † - Grandfather **N'Jobu † - Father **T'Chaka † - Uncle **Ramonda - Aunt-by-marriage **T'Challa/Black Panther - Cousin, Attempted Victim and Killer **Shuri - Cousin and Attempted Victim *Mother Allies *Border Tribe **W'Kabi Enemies *Ulysses Klaue † - Situational Ally turned Victim *Dora Milaje **Okoye - Situational Ally turned Enemy and Attempted Victim **Ayo **Xoliswa *Nakia - Attempted Victim *Everett Ross - Attempted Victim *Zuri † - Friend turned Victim *Linda † - Lover turned Victim *Limbani † - Associate turned Victim Trivia *In the comics, Erik Killmonger, originally known as N'Jadaka, was a Wakandan native who was exiled after his father was forced to work for Ulysses Klaue and attempted to overthrow T'Challa from the throne upon his return. *Killmonger's scarification markings on his chest and torso resemble that of the and tribes. Behind the Scenes *Michael B. Jordan noted the character's dreadlocks hairstyle was a way "to stay true to the original character long hair as much as possible and make it as modern as we could."MICHAEL B. JORDAN'S BLACK PANTHER VILLAIN IS 'UNAPOLOGETICALLY WHO HE IS' *Jordan stated that Kilmonger is "very strategic, thoughtful. He's very patient. Very well skilled, trained to a T. He works very hard, and he feels what he's doing is right."COMIC-CON 2017: WHAT MOTIVATES VILLAIN KILLMONGER IN BLACK PANTHER *Jordan compared Killmonger and T'Challa's relationship to the X-Men characters and . He also compared his performance to 's take on Magneto in the , and to 's in .Black Panther: Empire's Exclusive Newsstand Cover Revealed *Khalid Ghajji and Aaron Toney were stunt doubles for Michael B. Jordan in the role of Erik Killmonger. References External Links * * * Category:Black Panther (film) Characters Category:Humans Category:Males Category:Black Hair Category:Brown Eyes Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology Students Category:United States Armed Forces Soldiers Category:Mercenaries Category:Heart-Shaped Herb Users Category:Black Panthers Category:Tribal Leaders Category:Golden Tribe Members Category:Royalty Category:High Body Count Category:Multilingual Characters Category:Villains Category:Deceased Characters Category:Characters Killed by Black Panther Category:Characters Killed by Erik Killmonger Category:Characters Killed by Themselves